What Is Your Favourite Rum Based Cocktail?

a) Daiquiri

b) Rum Punch

c) Mojito

d) Other

What is a Cocktail?

The first definition appeared in Hudson, New York in 1806 in The Balance and Columbian Repository. The editor is quoted as answering:

“Cock-tail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any
kind, sugar, water and bitters – it is vulgarly calledbittered sling.”

An alcoholic drink which contains a spirit or a mixture of spirits mixed with a variety of other ingredients. The term cocktail has a variety of myths and legends about how it came into existence. Rooster’s tails being used as a garnish, the colour of the first ones resembling a roosters tail, drinks being stirred with a roosters tail (my personal favourite) etc.

Daiquiri

Whatever your choice is on your favourite, it’s clear that rum’s versatility lends itself to the ability to create a wide variety of world renowned cocktails. The Daiquiri is probably the most famous rum based cocktail in the world. There are a multitude of variations which include a wide spectrum of fruits and extra ingredients, but in my opinion after trying the original last year made by an expert, it can’t be beaten.

The story of the origin of the Daiquiri is said that in Cuba a man called Jennings Cox was entertaining guests one night. He was an iron miner on the island and was earning a healthy profit. Whilst entertaining those guests, he ran out of the gin he was accustomed to and he went to the nearest shop and purchased the easiest liquor he could find in bulk, rum. He added what ingredients he had at his residence to the rum to try to make it more drinkable as the white rum of the day was harsh and unforgiving. Those were lemon, sugar, water and ice. The drink went down a treat with his guests and they wanted to know what it was called. As he had just made it up, he decided to call it the Daiquiri after the nearby beach.

To make the original Daiquiri bartenders use the rhyme, one of sour (lemon), two of sweet (sugar), three of strong (rum) and four of weak (water). After it was introduced into America, as all good bartenders do, twists and alterations were added to the cocktail to create the variety of Daiquiris that are available globally. Next time you order one, ask for the original if you haven’t tried it, and maybe even recite the rhyme to the bartender as a conversation starter!

Rum Punch

As many people know, punch is a term that is used for a mixture of drinks. Usually these contain fruit juice and/or fruit pieces. There are a number of different rum punches out there. Usually rum punch is quite common amongst the younger drinkers. This is because they can be made with cheaper ingredients and has the ability to mask very high alcohol content. However they also can, and in my opinion should, be treated as a refreshing and tasty cocktail, drunk sparingly to be enjoyed. Rum Punch was created by sailors travelling to the Caribbean. Any beer/wine and other alcoholic drinks they took with them, turned rancid by the time they landed and rather than complain, they decided to become resourceful and use the local ingredients and meld them together with the local spirit to create something drinkable. They added bitters and nutmeg which are also found locally.

One of my favourite is Planter’s Rum Punch. This was invented at the bar of the Planters House Hotel in St Louis Missouri. The recipe for this particular punch differs and usually contains a mixture of rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, lemon juice, grenadine, curacao, soda water, cayenne pepper and Angostura bitters.

Mojito

The Mojito is a world renowned rum cocktail similar to the Daiquiri. However, unlike the Daiquiri, its original recipe still is the most popular and widely used. The five ingredients are white rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water and mint (bruised not shredded). These are mashed together using a muddler and topped with crushed ice.

The birth of the Mojito is still subject to debate. One version says it was created from local ingredients and used as a treatment for scurvy and dysentery. The sugar and mint were helpful in hading the harshness of the unfiltered rum. The other version says it was created by slaves who worked in Cuban sugar fields.

My favourite of these three purely depends on where I am. I love a rum punch in the Caribbean on a white sandy beach. I love an original Daiquiri in the summer in the city as a cooler. I love the Mojito as a bookend drink on a night out. An excellent start or finish to the night, whatever the hour!

I know there are other rum based cocktails out there. The Mai Tai, Dark and Stormy, Rum Based Old Fashioned etc. Leave a comment on what is your favourite, or your favourite twist on a classic cocktail and next time you’re in a bar, why not ask your bartender where he thinks the term cocktail comes from?

From 4pm till 10pm (BST) we will be hosting The World’s First European Online Rum Festival where presenters from many brands will be joining us for their allocated time slots to speak about their rums… https://t.co/TFeRe21q1C